Chapter 1

Prrrrr…Prrrr" I smacked my alarm clock shut as I groggily woke up from my deep slumber. I walked slowly ignorant of time as I headed to the shower. I had a cold morning shower which ruthlessly awoke me. After the shower, I looked at the mirror and there, a reflection of myself was staring back at me with a face of disappointment. This habit ruined my day every morning yet I could not stop it. My family had this genetic disorder of being short and flubbed. My father and my grandfather are the only people known to have fought it off. Something to do with my Gigi's army days. Although my father always said that I would figure it out when high school started, it didn't stop me from looking at myself in disappointment. I headed to the closet and chose an outfit fit for my first day in high school which turned out to be a white shirt under a blue hoodie with brown khaki pants. I was kind of hoping that a lot of stuff would start changing. Right now, my father was at the front line protecting the borders of our land from terror attacks. Right after, I went back to my room and to my bedside shelf. There lay a blue ring inlaid with what looked like runic engravings. I took it and I could feel the engravings on my hand. It was light to the touch and fit on my finger perfectly. It was still early so my sister was probably asleep.

My mother usually, woke up early and rode to work which is where she had her breakfast. The company my mother worked at was called Floral Inc. They dealt with all kinds of technology and had a countrywide supply. My family, The Dillians had a long history with the Florals. It was guaranteed to get a job at the Floral Inc. if one used the Dillian's family name.

 "Hey, Stan get down here before I'm late for school."

 I had totally forgotten that my sister was starting middle school 1 and was supposed to arrive before 7.00 in the morning otherwise she would still be asleep. I jumped and ran to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for us. I made tea which we downed with some scones. After packing for lunch, I went to the garage and mom's pick-up to the porch which was about the same size as a medium compound of up to 20 by 20 meters. After my sister sat on the passenger seat we took off and entered the jam-packed road. Was there an event I did not know of? We arrived at Bisma Middle School and after I dropped off my sister, I headed to my high school. My country, Aledma, had a total of 20 counties. Each county had 5 towns resulting in a total of 100 towns all over the country. Now each town had an infant school for kids from the age of 1-6, an elementary school for ages 8-13, a middle school for ages 14-16, and two high schools which mostly comprised of 17–19-year-olds. In our town, we had two high schools. One, Bisma Town High, was where students who actually surpassed the Middle School Final Examinations target went. Two, we had Flump Engineering High which was where troublemakers and guys who had failed the MSFE were taken. Right now I was headed to Bisma Town High for my first day of high school. I never really studied but I had exceeded the target mark by 2 marks.

As I looked at the ring my father had given me after middle school graduation, I felt a wave of motivation and a new push to achieve my goals. I was going to change how people viewed me and my family. I was going to take us, a branch family, to the top of the Dillian family ranks. Because of this genetic dysfunction our family had fallen through the ranks of the main family and my father was working himself off at the army to push us up the ranks.

As I turned left towards the school gate, I saw a man wearing a gray hat, gray sweater, and a pair of blue khaki pants. With the help of prefects, he was looking at the kid's hair and cleanliness. After packing my pick-up, I alighted to be checked by one of the monitors. 

"Ah," he shrieked, "Sir, it's a Dillian." 

As soon as the teacher heard that he frowned and came over. He was holding a Bunsen burner pipe. As he examined me, he asked.

"What's your name?"                                 

"Sir, it's Stan Dillian," I said.

"Mr. Dillian, why is your hair unkempt?" He asked as he hit my head with the burner. " It's either you make it or I will cut it. Take two laps around the school."

'Oh, how the graceful had fallen'

I thought as I started the lap and was reminded once again that my body was not optimal. After leaving the parking lot, I looked up and to my left, I saw the cafeteria, which was open for breakfast. A few guys were there. The school did not look any special. From the gate, to the right was the parking lot while to the left was the cafeteria. In the center was the path that branched off to the left and to the right. After that, the path proceeded to the center of the school where there was a large hallway full of flowers and paths that led to the buildings. There were three large buildings. One to the right was written First Year and was two stories. Another to the left was written Second Year and the last one at the far center of the hallway was written Administration Block and on the second floor was written Third Year. Before getting to the hallway the path branched twice. To the right was the sports field with a soccer field, a basketball court, and other courts. To the left, I saw a building behind the year two building. I took that route and it led me to the building which was written GYM in big bold letters. I eventually followed the path as it winded around the school and ultimately saw the field up ahead. The teacher was still there and he told me to take another lap so I did. After completing the two laps, I clutched my knees as I breathed deeply. Looking at my watch for the time, I chanced a glance at my ring and it seemed to glow. As I wondered why, a lot of pain hit me and I fell it felt like my bones and muscles were being torn and rebuilt simultaneously.